Baguio City has been called a lot of things, the City of Pines, the Summer Capital of the Philippines, but what it is, really, is my favorite city in the Philippines.

It is arguably the hub of tourism in Luzon, especially during the month-long festivities of the Panagbenga Festival. It has the best thrift shopping places with its ukay-ukay stores. A food trip paradise with its numerous restaurants. And a weekend-getaway haven, with its numerous tourist spots and general accessibility from Metro Manila. Its year-round cool and temperate weather only adds to its charm as a tourist destination.

I know I’m not alone in nominating Baguio City as their favorite city, but if you’re still unconvinced, here’s a travel guide to convert you to become a certified Baguio Junkie.

► HOW TO GET TO BAGUIO CITY

Baguio City is located some 250 kilometers from Metro Manila and is elevated 1,450 meters above sea level. Buses are the usual transportation of choice when going to the city and travel time usually clocks in at six hours (from Manila). There used to be flights in and out of the city in years past, but is has been discontinued indefinitely. The city can also be accessed through the Ilocos Region and other parts of Luzon through various provincial bus lines and vans.

► GETTING AROUND BAGUIO CITY

Jeepneys and taxis are the main modes of transportation in Baguio. Although it can be said that taxi cabs are more prevalent in the city than jeeps. This is probably due to the fact that taking a taxi in Baguio City is very cheap since most don’t need to use their air-conditioning, saving a lot on gas. Cab drivers are also very honest, giving back your change up to the last centavo. Flag down rate is Php35.00.

It’s still, however, cheaper to ride jeeps whether you’re going back to your hotel or some tourist spot in the city. Most tourist destinations in Baguio is, more often than not, accessible via jeepneys. Don’t be shy to ask locals where the terminals are for any given destination. Minimum fare is Php8.50.

► TOURS IN BAGUIO CITY

Baguio City tour packages are a dime a dozen. The probability of finding one in your own city is quite high, these are mostly inclusive of lodgings, transfers, entrance fees, guides and transportation. Rates range from about a thousand pesos per person per night; but that totally depends on how big your group would be. But if, however, you find yourself already in Baguio City, you can still check out numerous organized tours online or simply flag a taxi and negotiate with the driver for a tour of Baguio—remember to haggle, hard.

Note that I haven’t really tried using a tour package to see Baguio since the city is very to explore on your own. And I still recommend that you simply do a DIY tour of Baguio rather than avail of a package tour.

► SPEAK BAGUIO

Filipino and English are widely spoken in Baguio City but their main language is, surprisingly, Ilocano. I was under the impression that Ibaloi, which is closely related to Pangasinense (another popular language in the city), or Kankana-ey, which is prevalent in the northern parts of Benguet Province would be more dominant. Here are a few phrases in Ilocano then to help endear yourselves to the locals (especially when haggling at ukay-ukay, lol).

► WHERE TO STAY IN BAGUIO CITY

There are uncountable number of lodgings and accommodations in Baguio City. They range from cheap backpacker types to really posh hotels. It would take a dedicated website to list each and every inns, hostels, motels, dorms, homestays and hotels in Baguio City, so I’ll simply list down those where I’ve stayed in. Although it’s usually very easy to get a lodging as you arrive in Baguio City, I advise that you book ahead, especially during the busy Panagbenga and Christmas seasons.

► WHERE TO EAT IN BAGUIO CITY

Baguio City is a food-lovers paradise. The city has every cuisine you can think of in every style of restaurants possible. You can dine cheaply on Chinese dishes on one day and splurge on the same dish on a different restaurant the next day. But since you’re in Baguio, might as well chow down on greens more; fresh veggies are quite abundant in the area, making them really affordable. Most restaurants crowd around the Session Road area, but be adventurous and try some out of the way places too. Also, check out curious art cafés that makes dining almost secondary.

► WHAT TO SEE & DO IN BAGUIO CITY

Baguio City is one of the most visited regions in Luzon. With its slew of tourist spots that keep visitors going back, year after year, it really isn’t hard to reckon why. From pine-laden parks, to native villages. Horse-riding to boat-paddling. Trail hikings and strawberry pickings. Art museums and haunted houses. One can say that tourism is Baguio City’s middle name.

► FESTIVALS IN BAGUIO CITY

► WHERE TO SHOP & WHAT TO BUY IN BAGUIO CITY

Shopping for pasalubong and keepsakes is part and parcel of visiting Baguio City. One simply cannot go back home without bringing jars of strawberry jams, choco flakes, kinky barrel-man carvings, tacky shirts, keychains and ref magnets with you. Add the fresh veggies and strawberries that can be bought very cheaply almost everywhere and you’ve got more than you can probably lift back home. You’d definitely run out of space for those walis tambo and giant kutsara at tinidor carvings very quickly if you don’t watch it.

► BAGUIO CITY TOURIST SPOT MAP

► BAGUIO CITY SAMPLE ITINERARY

A two-day weekend tour is usually not enough to cover most of the tourist attractions in Baguio City. A three-day itinerary can do it, but for a more relaxed pace, I advise that you extend your vacation to at least five days. Spend those two extra days to visit the PMA grounds and the Balatoc Mines and simply walk around the city; trying out various restaurants, sipping coffee at the numerous cafes and simply enjoying being in Baguio City. DAY 0Depart at Midnight from Manila DAY 1Early Morning Arrival from Metro Manila Check in at Hotel (leave your bags at the lobby if early check in is not allowed)Breakfast at Goto BP, Pizza Volante or Zola (open 24 hours) Visit Baguio Cathedral Visit Baguio Museum Visit and have Coffee at Burnham Park Visit Burnham Orchidarium Visit Tam-Awan Village Lunch at Forest House Coffee at Starbucks Camp John Hay Hike Through the Camp John Hay Eco Trail Dinner at Oh My Gulay! Visit Night Market at Harrison Road DAY 2 Early Hotel Check Out - I suggest you leave your bags at the lobby first FOR 2-DAY ITINERARY Breakfast at Good Taste Visit Bell Church Visit Stobosa Art Mural Visit Strawberry Farm Lunch at PNKY Cafe or 50’s Diner Visit the Laperal White House Visit Botanical Garden, Wright Park and The Mansion Visit Mines View Park and Buy Pasalubong at Market and Good Shepherd Dinner at Cafe by the Ruins Board Bus to Manila END OF 2-DAY ITINERARY

DAY 3 Early Hotel Check Out - I suggest you leave your bags the lobby first FOR 3-DAY ITINERARYBuffet Breakfast at Veniz Grill Visit Lourdes Grotto Visit Old Diplomat Hotel Visit BenCab Museum (make sure this does not fall on a Monday as they are closed, else, visit PMA instead) Lunch at BenCab’s Cafe Sabel (if you decided on PMA, have lunch at PNKY Cafe or 50’s Diner instead) Buy Pasalubong at Baguio Public Market Dinner at Te Quiero Depart to Manila END OF 3-DAY ITINERARY

► BAGUIO TRAVEL BUDGET

Traveling to Baguio City is not expensive. There are wide range of lodgings to choose which can suit everyone’s budget. Food is also no problem since restaurants and eateries abound. Getting around is cheap, you can either ride a jeepney or take a cab, which is also surprisingly affordable, or better yet, walk. The city is both good for both budget backpackers and luxury travelers, but as always, this budget guide is intended for the absolute minimum one can spend for a three-day Baguio trip based on the itinerary I listed below (not including the restaurants).

DAY ONE PHP70.00 - Taxi from bus terminal to hotel PHP15.00 - Jeep to and from Tam-Awan Village PHP8.50 - Jeep to and from Camp John Hay DAY TWO PHP8.50 - Jeep to Bell Church PHP8.50 - Jeep to Strawberry Farm from Stobosa PHP10.00 - Jeep back to city center PHP8.50 - Jeep to Laperal White House PHP8.50 - Jeep to Botanical Garden PHP8.50 - Jeep to Mines View from The Mansion PHP12.00 - Jeep back to city center DAY THREE PHP8.50 - Jeep to Lourdes Grotto PHP8.50 - Jeep to Old Diplomat Hotel PHP8.50 - Jeep to city center PHP30.00 - Jeep to and from BenCab Museum PHP70.00 - Taxi to bus terminal

BAGUIO CITY TRAVEL GUIDE AND ITINERARY UPDATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

233 comments:

Baguio was my dream destination when I was growing up to almost adulthood. I didn't get a chance to go there until I was already in college. Loved the place....I still do even, after I have been to many places in the world. Nothing beats first love.

This blog serves as our guide during our visit in Baguio last weekend. We really enjoyed our trip although we missed some attractions listed like the PMA and Laperal house due to time constraint. One thing I've noticed missing is Rito's. Taob ang bulalo ng Batangas sa kanila! Thanks to the author of this site. Very helpful!

Hi Arthur, that would depend on where you would choose to stay. For the food, 200 per meal per person should be more than enough. For transportation, it's about 50 to 100 pesos per transfer to the tourist spots. :)

I am planning to go next month. any suggestion where can we stay (5 travelers) that closer to the main attraction and syempre mo good price din... I still contemplating kung mag co commute kami or mag re rent ng car with driver.... all suggestion is greatly appreciated.. Salamat po

Hi Lea, I think Baguio Holiday Villas is the perfect place for you. It's walking distance from Burnham Park and price is competitive specially for big groups. They also have a kitchen, so you can cook your own meals and save a bit.

For me, commuting to Baguio is always better, more economical. Once in Baguio, you can always take a taxi, which is very cheap compared to the ones in Manila. :)

Hi Win, renting a lodging house is definitely much more affordable than a hotel since you're a big group. If you have a bit of a budget, I suggest you stay at the Baguio Holiday Villas (listed above). They have a kitchen so you can save up a bit on food, plus it's near Burnham Park and the public market. :)

Want to discover Baguio City? Have fun with our Baguio City Tourism Frontliners accredited by the Department of Tourism. Our tourist guides are friendly and very accommodating with a budget friendly you can now discover Baguio City top destinations: Camp John Hay, Minesview Park, Botanical Garden, Wright Park, Bell Church, Lourdes Grotto, PMA, Easter Weaving, Baguio Cathedral Church and many more.

Thank you for an insightful and in-depth guide to our hometown, Baguio City. Rarely do we see anyone put such an effort in helping tourists (even locals) find the best places to go in Baguio. Keep up the good work and we're looking forward for more of your Baguio adventures

Hi NinjaLiit, it's quite hard to estimate a budget for a trip because everything would depend on where you're gonna stay, where (and how many times) you're gonna eat, and what mode of transportation you're gonna take.

Hi, if you have the budget, I'd say go for the Baguio tour package. It is more convenient and will lessen the chances of you wasting time by transferring from one place to the next. The downside is, it would be more expensive.

If you're more adventurous, go for the DIY commute to and in Baguio. It is quite easy and relatively cheap to get a taxi in Baguio. Plus you get to stay on each tourist spot in Baguio on your own time. :)

hai Christian, have u heard about cafe in the sky (la presa) ?do you have any info about that place? how to get there commute or taxi?cos i researched it some of them said taxi fare go there 150-300 1 way, some said 800++ round trip.please advice me if u have any info. thx.

Sadly the LGU already restricted access to Sto Tomas. There was a directed recently disallowing tourist to go there. Café in the Sky is not operating anymore but they still have the hotel. You can go to that if Café in the Sky will confirm your reservation ahead in the checkpoint after the Green Valley area.

It is sad as this is my favorite area in Baguio, Im sure with your masterful hand with the camera, pictures of this place would entice more and more tourist but again sadly, no one can go there anymore except those who live there

My Partner and I will be in Baguio this coming April 10-12, 2016 and this Blog made it so much easier for me to plan our vacation. I was even searching for a Map that would easily tell me where to go, and this Blog has it! Whew! I hope that our Vacation will be awesome!

Hi, I love your blog. These is helpful I'm planning to go to Baguio with my family for 3 days. Can you suggest a cheap transient house? a clean & a safe one? Near at Camp John Hay or Sm Bagiou hopefully. Thank you so much

I haven't really tried staying at a transient house before, so I can't recommend any. If you're considering a dorm, I've tried AKAP Dormitel, the cheapest I've stayed in so far while in Baguio, but it's one jeepney ride away from Burnham Park

We are heading to Baguio nextweek for our 10th year anniv with the kids and I found this blog with detailed itinerary. Will use this as our guide, thanks for this. Hopefully the weather will be good! We are booked at Hotel Elizabeth:-)

Hi Kathreen, budget for tours, less than a thousand pesos for each if you're gonna do it on your own and just take cabs or die jeepneys. For food, depends really where you're eating. A meal can range from PHP60.00 (carinderia) to about PHP250.00 (famous restaurants) per person.

Wow, isn't this blog the best? I mean, you've covered EVERYTHING! I've been to Baguio 3x already but I'm planning to celebrate my birthday weekend there so I'm just looking for new places and itinerary. I almost forgot about Stobosa. Maybe you can also add Cafe in the Sky, "La Presa" and Dinosaur Island as an update for others. Kudos! :)

heya mccoy onkyo606 here.you finally had the chance to get back after more than a year.

last time i was in baguio was in feb 2016 traffic was hellish that weekend but we still enjoyed our stay. we will miss another visit this december aswe decided to go further north this time. i will try to do a quick visit though balikan lang. i have been frequenting the place the past 5 years but will neverget tired of it.

have you tried eating at tono tono yet? i bet you will keep going back too. i just forgot the exact location but that bulaluhan on your way to mines view is also worth a try.

the Cheapest to stay in Baguio is at Bab's Transient house for only 250 per night per person where you can cook your own food and free use of utensils and LPG and rice cooker and for your convenience when touring in baguio just negotiate a jeepney driver for the whole day tour for about 2000 -2500 a day.

Waaaaah. Me and my boyfriend plans to visit Baguio. We 1st decided to avail tour package but we finally decided to travel on our own. And thanks the Lord your blog will definitely help us get through our trip. Kudos to your work!! 😁😁 Will definitely updte you. Will follow this.

Wow this will be really helpful for me once I visit Baguio this year! I'll make sure that this coming 2017 will be my "Travel/ Adventure Year" and Baguio is definitely a part of it ��It's time to save at least P2k/ head hehe since I wanna bring my family as well. Thanks for your effort! Keep up the good work ��

Hi, I really don't know any tour guide in Baguio. What you can do is load up for an unlimited internet on your phone and use the gps coordinates I posted above so you won't get lost going to Baguio's tourist spots. And, you can also ask people, they're pretty friendly. :)

My husband and I with our 7 years old son will go to Baguio this February 4 to 5, what will be the best itenarary for almost one and a half day? If we leave from Manila at Saturday 6am, we will most likely arrive there at Saturday noon. Makakapaggala kami from that time to 6pm. Then Sunday 7am to 4pm. Ano ano magandang unahing puntahan on that so limited amount of time? Thanks a lot!

Hi! We'll be at baguio in two weeks from now.. We choose your itinerary and got some ideas.. But my bf hard to find cheap accommodation like what you had.. Any suggestions for accommodation?? specially this season is really too hard to find better but cheap rooms to stay in at baguio.. Any suggestion? Like Bed and breakfast that you know? Most of transient we found got some issues on bathrooms and cr😞 hope you can help us

Hi, Christian! You're a genius! I loved reading through your blog (note that I am NOT a reader and how hard I try not to read through articles and just skim through them) and learning a lot on how to get to places and just know what to do once you're there. It will be my first time to travel alone on a DIY IT trip and I have spent days, literally daaaayyyyss just trying to figure out how to plan this trip properly and without hassle. I'm very meticulous, especially to the detail regarding the value and quality that I get out of my money now more-so for I'll be shouldering my expenses alone for this trip. NEWBIE here! haha and with your blog, It's like I know the ins and outs of Baguio already. This blog of yours is without a doubt helpful and informative. THANK YOU!!

p.s.: It is only in your blog that I got the number of the hotel that I've been trying to reach for days and I just booked a room for 3 nights! YEY!

Hi Cecile, I'm not that familiar with car rentals in Baguio. What you can do is simply flag a taxi and request if they would be okay in renting their cab for the day. Most taxi drivers in Baguio are quite honest, so I don't think you'd have any problem with them. :)

Hi Sir, I'm wondering bakit po kailangan mag-early checkout each day? then would that be another checkin once done with day's itinerary? curious lang po, Planning to go here this April.Any recommendations about the accomodations?

Hi, thanks for blogging this, super helpful siya for me who doesnt know how to set a getaway. Any recommendation sa hotel? I have 1,500 to 2000 per night budget, for 2 person, yung accessible sana sa public transportation. Thank you

You can switch the itineraries, of course. The Baguio Cathedral is at the center so, it's up to you where to go next after that. I dedicated the second day to the Laperal area and the first day to visit Tam-awan, which is quite isolated. :)

So thankful i found this blog =) We're on our way to Baguio right now and im with my partner, well truth to be told im really hesitant to do a DIY travel. But i have no worries at all now =D Im so amazed with the wide range of choices and very detailed itinerary that you have.. KUDOS to you sir!

To maximize your Baguio trip, I suggest that you take the midnight bus ride from Manila. You'll arrive in Baguio very early the next day. If your accommodation doesn't allow early check in, just leave your bags at the lobby first :)

Your blog is very detailed and informative! I think, everything I should know were all written.I've always wanted to go to Baguio alone. Would it be possible for me to go on holidays? e.g Oct.31-Nov.2Thanks!